Thoughts on having a really rare name?

[reeny19]

So I’ve recently found out I’m pregnant and we’ve had to seriously start deciding on names.

I’m torn between traditional, timeless ‘normal’ names but there are two very rare names that I love (one for a boy, one for a girl). I was expecting DH to veto my unusual names but he hasn’t and wants to use them!

What are your thoughts on rare names? Do you have one yourself? did you love/hate it or experience any problems with it? Did you name your own child something rare and how did you get on? What did your family think? Do you know of any children with rare names? Is it quite normal nowadays for children to have unusual names?

My issue with unusual names is that it’s does mean that the child will lose a degree of anonymity. I can also foresee my family disliking the names, people being confused when they hear it, struggling with spelling, remembering it, pronounciation etc.

Help please!

I have an unusual name and usually go by a pseudonym in Starbucks 😬😬

Honestly I didn't like it much growing up but now I'm an adult I'm happy with it, I didn't meet another of me until I was mid-20s and that's the only one I've come into contact with.

Me. I’ve never met another with the same name as me. I absolutely LOATHED it as a child. Teachers couldn’t pronounce it (unsure why not it’s literally two syllables 🙄). As I got older though i learnt to love it. I was always remembered we’re ever I went and in job interviews ect. Whilst I adore traditional names we chose Athena for our daughter...which isn’t common but it’s quite well used atm

Hmm, it seems to be a mixed bag on here. I feel like I shouldn’t go for rare names just to give the child an easy life.

My mum always said girls should have unusual names and boys should have common names. So kind of what your DH was saying pallisers. I’m inclined to agree.

And yes Nessie - completely agree. When you’re 13 and stuck at school with a name you hate, you’re stuffed. It’s not as easy as just switching to a middle name.

Macavity - that’s exactly what I want to avoid. Even though I have a stupidly common surname, even with the uniqueness of my first name I’ve still always been one of a handful of people who come up when you google it. And when you live in a small city, everyone knows everyone and you really can’t blend in.

I feel like if a child grows up and wants a really stand-out name then they can always choose a stage name, like most celebs, authors etc.

DoraNora, I want to know the name you’re planning now! Lol

I'm sure those with common but long names don't give their full name to Starbucks every time!

There were 7 girls with the same name in my class, I would not want to have a name that common. But on the other hand, there's rare and there's rare. I have one of those names that nobody knows how to spell and pronounce and unless you're Scandinavian, you couldn't even tell my gender from it. Pain in the backside. No, didn't want this for my kids. So mine have classical names people will know, but that are not anywhere near top 10.

I can’t post on trip adviser,do online reviews or respond to community consultations without considering the impact of my posts.

Doesn't everyone choose a username that is unrelated to your real name anyway?

I would never post these things under my real name.

My step nieces and nephews had very unusual names. They all changed them before going to secondary school. They were never bullied or teased- they just got bored with having to explain their names every time they told anyone. It got very tedious. All adults now. All still happy with the decision they made.

Anything but Abcd

😂😂😂😂😂😂

My sister and I both have extremely unusual names. I love it! We have both never met anybody with our names before, everybody has always commented that we have beautiful names..I have named both my boys unusual names (but that are still easy to say and spell) and people always comment how beautiful their names are too 😊

It really depends on the name but personally I'd rather I and my children had names that weren't overly common, for example there's something ridiculous like ten 'Oliver's in my daughter's year group. I know some people are really keen on top ten names, but I think it's really boring.

I have an uncommon but not rare name, not met many others so it always feels like my name alone and I get a bit possessive over it when I come across others I enjoyed not being one of many at school or having to use an initial and I still like it now.

Two of my three children have unusual names but they're not silly or made up just different and rare. So far they've had no problems and enjoy being a bit different. The other one, I thought was not that common at the time but has actually become quite popular now!

My name is unusual but known if that makes sense. I have known of a few others in my life, but never anyone is School or a friend or at a hobby. It is a timeless name and doesn’t date and I love it.
All through school I wasntes to be called smanatha or Melanie and I am now so grateful that I wasn’t (not that they are not nice names, just very overused).

We have given DD1 an unusual but known name and a nick name that is unusual too. However I now know at least 2 others of Knick name and one other of full name a year or 2 younger.

DD2 has an even more unusual name that most people have never heard of. (16 babies named it in the US last year and none in the UK). However the male version of it is becoming more popular.

So basically you just don’t know what will become popular. Personally I love being an individual and didn’t want DD to be know. Ellie S or Milly B or little Grace in school even though I love those names.

My sister has a similar name to mine in popularity terms and feels the same as me if that helps.

Mine isn't particuarly rare but people ALWAYS get it wrong its an enormous pain in the hole i wouldn't saddle anyone with a rare name as result.

I am 47 and only met 2 with my name. Dc's friends think it's odd!! Dh never uses it so not sure if he likes it or not!!
A few of my dc are the only ones of their name in school, one dd has only met another 1 of her - a shop assistant who she she asked if she could approach for a chat-the lovely girl was so nice to her!!
Nice to be different ime!!

DS2 has a pretty rare name, I don't even think it registered on UK births last year or if it did there were about 3 of them!

It's not that it's particularly out there, it's a very common Irish surname which is his first name (not Riley/Reilly) but not that often used as a first name.

He gets nothing but compliments and loves his nickname Sully.

Rare names don't necessarily have to be quirky or weird.

PS I love Vada, it's a gorgeous name!!

You have to tell us the names!

DS has a rare name but it's recognisable and most people have heard of who he is named after so it's not a problem.
He likes it, he suits it and we've never had a negative reaction to it.
There were 52 people in the U.K. given his name in the year he was born and the number hasn't increased since then.
It's definitely a name as opposed to a word which is probably part of the reason everyone seems OK with it.
My own name is top 100, and I've honestly only met maybe 10 other people with my name. Mainly because the male version is much more popular.

Vada is a nice name, it’s growing on me! I wouldn’t use it, but I do like it. What’s the origin?

Right I’ll come clean and tell you guys. Only because I’ll prob make another thread at some point on here with a shortlist.
Boy: Olan
Girl: Ariadne

Olan doesn’t seem to register anywhere online in UK lists.
Ariadne is very rare with 28 registered births last year. Of note - that is more Ariadnes registered last year than Nigels or Tracys.
I think people will struggle a lot more with Ariadne, and my friends hate it. ....but I just love it!

Oh we had Ariadne of our ‘list’.
I know one as well. It’s not that rare. And its lovely.

And Olan is easy to say and spell. And similar to Arlo of which there are lots.

They are great names.

I was just looking at my phone contact list and I have the following:
Big Sarah
Little Sarah
Happy sarah
Crazy sarah
Sarah oz (lives in Australia)
Work sarah
Sarah (xyz ‘s mum)

That’s Sarah’s! I have a similar number of Beckys too. And don’t start me on the Paul and Daves 😁

My D.C. go to nursery with a vada, her parents are Sri Lankan

I had a very rare name. I’ve never met anyone else with the same name. It’s never been a problem. It’s a normal name but just not really used that often long or Ethel or Harper or something

Ploppy - (love the username So can I ask why you didn’t go for Ariadne in the end? Or is it still a possibility for you?

They are both really lovely. Ariadne reminds me of Hurcule Poirot, lots of people will have heard of it. I think both are easy to spell too.

I love a rare name, my name is not an unknown name by any stretch but there was not another in my whole school and I liked that.
You could name them common names and they not like them. I would go rare all day long if you like it.
And I like the name.

I've only met one person with my name. It's a standard name just unusual in this country.

DD has a name in the top 100 with the normal spelling and we meet some with her name but there are unlikely to be six in her class. She has a standard but unusual in this country middle name just in case.

I could never get personalised things with my name on unless they were ordered specially.